When you go to war or battle
Deuteronomy 20:1 “When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”
In order to have what the Lord had for Israel, in the land God gave them…..there would be battles.
(And so with us, as Christians….we have to stand and hold the ground the Lord has won for us….and that includes battles with our spiritual enemies.
Ephesians 6:10-12 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”)
Deuteronomy 20:2-5 “And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,
And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel,….let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;
For the Lord your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
The first thing is to recognize that God is going with them…..and still their hearts and minds against fear and the desire to give up….or compromise with the enemy.
(Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved them.”)
As Christians, we have been told to Stand.
Ephesians 6:13 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Stand is a military term….it means to hold our ground. Christ has been Victor….and has given us an inheritance in Himself…this is the ground we hold.
He has given us our calling and ministry….He has given us the fruits of the Spirit….we are to manifest Him as our Lord.
And we are to stand against the wiles of the devil.
But….God makes provision for those who are fearful and faint-hearted:
Deuteronomy 20:8 “And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and faint hearted? Let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.”
This was practical, in a very important way….if this person went into battle with this fear…he would make the men around him fearful as well….
…which could lead to defeat, in that section of fighting…or even to lose the whole battle.
Our emotions are contagious…we can strengthen….and we can weaken those around us with our attitude.
The person who does not trust God and tries to bluff their way through a trial…pretending to trust Him….pretending things will be alright…can be tripped up,….or may get through, but get no joy.
To be built up in the faith, we need to exercise our faith in Him…and not give way to self. Faith sees God…even in trembling.
(Paul in trouble…but not in distress 2 Corinthians 4:8)
To say “I’ll do this…we’ll see what happens”…..is not the Way God leads.
Trust is hanging on to God and His Word…not because you are courageous, but because God is with you.
I wholeheartedly believe, that true trust in Christ, costs us something. We are not robots….but people whose hearts and minds can be fearful.
Yet the cost, is in denying ourselves and getting honest with the Lord….and letting Him give us peace to trust Him.
(There is a Story of WW1 soldier who was in the trenches. He had to climb up three sets of ladders to get out on the No-man’s land in between the lines.
Yet as he climbed each rung with men before him and behind…he prayed. His body was shaking as he got to climb up that last ladder….and he would say, “That’s okay body…you just shake. If you knew where I was taking you…you would really be shaking.”
Years later as a preacher, he would tell his congregation that story and say.
“We may shake and tremble….but make no mistake…if we will with God, we will go where He leads, and fulfill the duty He calls us to.”)
For us Christians, we are called to stand. But it is always a stand with Christ. And if we can’t trust Him, we can give in to being…“fearful and faint-hearted”…ready to give up.
Stand is a military term….it means to hold our ground. Christ has been Victor….and has given us an inheritance in Himself.
And the battle for it…is in holding onto His Word…in believing obedience.
Are we standing on it? Are we encouraging others to trust the Lord?
There will be battles….let us get honest with the Lord about the way we feel….and let Him take away our fear….or panic, or dread….and replace it with trust.
Trust that He is with us….in the battle…to bring us through.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 